To Get Away from an Ex’s Obsession

As Asralda held the door handle, her hand trembled.

She thought about turning around quickly, but her feet wouldn’t move. In the end, she listened to Aiden’s response.

“We’ll do it when the time comes.”

It was a nonchalant voice that didn’t have any emotions at all.

“What if your wife doesn’t want a divorce?”
“Whether she wants it or not, I’m going to force a divorce.”

Finally, Asralda opened the door with a pale face.

Aiden and Kyle looked at her in surprise.

Asralda asked in a trembling voice.

“What is… all this about?”

Aiden’s expression, looking at her face, quickly returned to its usual coldness. Aiden laughed coldly.

“You investigated me before, and now you’re eavesdropping on me like a little mouse at the door. You really have no sense of etiquette between spouses.”

Kyle intervened with a startled face.

“So, madam, this is…”

Aiden stopped him. Then he stared at Asralda coldly. As if to say, ‘Now that you’ve heard everything, you know.’

“We’re going to get divorced soon.”

She knew he didn’t love her, but she never thought he would consider divorce.

“Why, why on earth, when did you start thinking about this…”

Aiden pulled out a piece of paper from the desk drawer and handed it to Asralda, who was stumbling and unable to speak properly. It was a divorce application with his signature on it.

Asralda looked at the paper under her feet and picked it up. The creases on the paper were clear. It also meant that it had been stored in the drawer for a long time.

“What did I do wrong to you?”

No matter how good she was at hiding her emotions, she was never able to do so in front of Aiden. It was because she loved him. Her voice trembled.

Aiden burst into laughter.

“Well, if we have to go through them one by one, there are countless things.”
“…”
“First, the fact that you were born in Lucias. Second, the fact that your country is worse off than mine. Third, the fact that you’re the daughter of that crazy Oscar.”

She felt like she was about to pass out.

None of them were mistakes she had made on her own. They were things that she couldn’t help. Why was he blaming her for being born in Lucias and having a cruel father?

It sounded like her very existence was a mistake.

“…Then why did you bring me to this mansion in the first place?”

Asralda asked, barely able to hold back the lump in her throat.

Aiden’s lips twisted. Kyle quickly intervened, trying to stop him from saying anything.

“Stop it! Aiden, stop it. Madam, let’s go outside first. You don’t look well. You just recovered from a cold not long ago, and if you push yourself like this, it’ll worsen soon.”

But Asralda didn’t hear his voice. She clenched the divorce application tightly and spoke through gritted teeth.

“I can’t do it.”

Aiden’s smooth eyes suddenly twisted. Asralda looked straight at his dark eyes and spoke in a trembling voice.

“No. I won’t do it. You brought me here, Aiden, so you’re responsible for me until the end.”

A feeling of disgust settled in Aiden’s cold, clear eyes. With an expression that said there was no point in continuing the conversation, Aiden walked to his desk in the study. His voice was like spitting out contempt as he mercilessly attacked Asralda’s dignity.

“Well, if you’re going to be useful until the end, I’m more than willing to let you do that.”

Useless.

Asralda stared at Aiden’s back and repeated the word over and over again in her mind.

“As long as you’re worth more than a prisoner of war. At least now, you’re of no use to me as my wife.”

It felt like her blood was drying up. Her legs, barely holding her up, felt like they would give out any moment due to either anger or disappointment. Kyle quickly came to support her when he noticed that her condition was not good.

Asralda pushed Kyle away. She had more questions she wanted to ask him.

She tried her best to open her lips towards Aiden, but they remained blue and unresponsive.

It wasn’t because she didn’t have the strength to speak.

“Do you love Marinda?”

It was so pitiful. She was so pathetic for still yearning for his affection with those frozen eyes.

And she was afraid that his answer wouldn’t be any different from what she expected. If that were the case, she wouldn’t be able to bear it.

Kyle, who had been watching her, put his arm around her shoulder again. He spoke softly, with a surprisingly urgent and affectionate tone.

“Please, madam. Let’s go to your room. I’ll support you.”

This time, Asralda didn’t resist. She was half-dragged out by Kyle, heading towards the door with no strength left. From behind, she heard Aiden’s voice.

“Until next time, Asralda.”

Kyle and Asralda turned to look at him. Aiden was sitting in a chair with a casual expression, as if nothing had happened.

“It would be great if your signature was on that paper.”

He picked up his pen and glanced up, then smirked unpleasantly at Asralda.

“It won’t hurt to have it prepared beforehand.”

***

Asralda, who had returned to her room with Kyle’s support, had a fever again that night.

The maids brought in the flower tea that Kyle had brought, but Asralda didn’t drink a single sip. She pushed away the maids who were worried that it would be a problem and sat on the bed, dazed.

Her head hurt so much that she couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality.

‘You, who come from a good family and have no proper parents, have no usefulness as my wife.’

That voice had been ringing in her head since earlier.

“I feel suffocated… I feel like I’m going to throw up…”

Wearing thin pajamas, she stumbled and stood on the floor. She then went to the window and pulled back the heavy curtains that covered the darkness. She wanted to feel the wind. Otherwise, she felt like she was suffocating and would die, not from the flu, but from a lack of air.

When she opened the window, she saw the sky where spiders were crawling down. The autumn air was slightly chilly. A faint breath came out of Asralda’s lips as she barely breathed.

Then…

“Aiden!”

A familiar voice echoed brightly from the garden, clearly visible from Asralda’s window. Asralda lowered her head and looked towards the garden.

Lovely crimson hair and soft brown eyes.

It was Marinda. She was standing in the garden, smiling at someone.

Like Kyle, she had been staying at the Duke’s house since yesterday and was dressed in simple clothes. After staring at her foolishly for a moment, Asralda saw another black silhouette on the opposite side gesturing her to come quickly.

As it was getting dark, it was hard to see, but Asralda could tell who the owner of the silhouette was.

He gradually revealed himself under the light. Her expectation was not wrong at all.

“Aiden…”

Marinda playfully ran towards him at his gesture. Then she looked around and quickly linked her arm with his.

Asralda stared at the scene as if she had lost her mind. Aiden’s voice echoed painfully in her ear again.

‘I went to meet Marinda, as I told you, and had an audience with the king. What you can’t say in front of me, it’s what you’re imagining.’

Aiden’s lips, which always drew a cold line, twitched and sneered. He said,

‘That’s the truth.’

When Marinda asked what was wrong, Aiden carefully tucked her hair behind her ear. It was an affectionate and delicate gesture.

Under the scenery of falling autumn leaves, Marinda looked up at him and hugged him lightly. Aiden, who had been momentarily stunned, hugged her delicate waist in response.

And as if it were a lie, a slow smile appeared on his always-dry lips, like a lie.

Gradually, despair crept into Asralda’s face as she watched him.

“Aiden… You’ve never smiled like that at me before.”

She always tried. So as not to be a burden to him.

Even though she was brought here as a prisoner from another country, she didn’t want to cause any trouble for him. And she hoped that if she tried hard enough, he would turn around and look at her too.

Asralda unconsciously reached out her hand towards the window. Her fingers pointed towards Aiden’s face, who was smiling at Marinda.

Every time the two whispered something quietly, it felt like my heart was being squeezed and trampled on without rest. It felt like my blood was flowing backwards.

At that moment, Aiden, who was holding Marinda, and Asralda met eyes for a moment.

“!”

Asralda almost hid behind the curtain at that moment. But if things were to go as planned, it wasn’t me who had to avoid it.

Yes, that was definitely what I had to do.

At first, Aiden seemed somewhat surprised as he looked up at her. But soon he smiled slowly. But his smile was clearly different from the one he had shown Marinda.

He didn’t avoid her gaze. Instead, he stared at her as if he had to say this.

‘Look carefully, Asralda. See who I really love.’

Then his head fell under Marinda’s face like a lie. Marinda seemed momentarily surprised, but soon she happily linked her arm around his neck.

Under the dark night, the two faces overlapped completely.